One of our high-level AT&T sources just informed us that an AT&T Vice President has confirmed to several employees that the iPhone 5 is slated to launch in early October. Additionally, the VP communicated the following to a group of managers: “Expect things to get really, really busy in the next 35-50 days, so prepare your teams accordingly.” Apple is widely expected to announce the iPhone 5 in a late September event with a release set for early October.

So … while we cannot be 100% certain that this timetable is the real deal … I’m pretty confident that it’s, at the very least, close to true. There have been too many rumors about a September/October iPhone 5 release. The timing makes sense … and it’s high time for a new iPhone to be unleashed upon the world. Now … as to what the features will be, well, that’s another set of rumors altogether. Let the games begin …